Dancing In The Dark
by GypsyJane
Summary: Monica is subjected to an horrific ordeal and is left absolutely devastated to find her attacker is the last person she would ever have thought. Andrew and Tess must convince her of the truth if she is to stand any chance of recovery whilst dealing with their own pain and conflicting emotions.
1. Chapter 1 - Devil's Deception

Hi Andrew, Monica, Tess and everyone and everything else associated with Touched by An Angel does not belong to me and I make no profit from them. I have just entered their world for a little while. I have also borrowed my title from Bruce Springsteen for now as I think it fits my story. But I will try to come up with something more original. So it may change. Finally I do not have a beta reader, so I apologise in advance and hope you can forgive me any mistakes.

I hope you enjoy my story! :)

Dancing In The Dark

_Chapter 1 – Devil's Deception_

_Fingertips caressed the ragged edge of the brickwork. He gently, slowly pulled himself forward and tilted his head just enough to peer round the side of the alleyway. There she was. He had studied her for months. Knew everywhere she had been, everything she had done. He knew her inside out. Knew what made her happy, made her sad, hurt her, angered her, excited her, he knew everything. He had a built up a detailed picture of her and would need everything he had to accomplish his mission. He'd heard all the stories, knew what she was capable of; every one he knew wanted to be the chosen one. But it was going to be him. He was going to destroy her._

She felt the cold air reach its icy fingers around her neck and the sharp breeze nip her face. She pulled the collar of her coat up trying to find shelter from the attack on her skin; hunched her shoulders, put her head down and drove forward. The thought of her friends waiting in a nice, warm coffee shop with a steaming hot Mocha Latte already ordered for her made her already pleasant mood soar even higher. She had just finished what had proved to be a difficult assignment and it had ended far better than she had believed it would just a few short weeks ago. Then it had seemed hopeless. But after a lot of talking and even more tears her assignment had taken the first step towards the father and he had taken her the rest of the way. The young lady in question was now beginning a new, richer, happier chapter in her life and Monica was absolutely delighted. Despite the chill in the air, the lateness of the hour and the bleakness of the night Monica continued on with the most beautiful smile gracing her lips and it held more warmth than any living thing for miles around.

_With every step she takes closer to him, his excitement grows. His fingers begin to twitch impatiently and his breathing deepens. He hears her footsteps for the first time and withdraws back into the shadows. She is close enough now that he can track her by sound alone. As he did so he allowed his thoughts to drift a little, allowed himself to feel a little of the glory that awaited him. It was finally here. The moment that was going to make him the most celebrated of his kind to have terrorised the earth in many a century. He slipped into the mask that would play such a pivotal role in his plan, adjusted his stance slightly to better suit the change in height and build he had so easily imitated and hearing her finally approach him put his evil plan in to action._

She continued on, propelled forward by the thought of the friendship, laughter and coffee that awaited her, unaware of the danger that was about to assault her. Already there with Andrew and Tess in spirit and already tasting the first cup of Mocha Latte on her lips she failed to notice the slight movement in the shadows and was abruptly pulled from her daydream by a mixture of dizziness and fear as she felt herself wrenched sideways into pitch darkness, pushed forcefully against a hard, immovable surface and her arms pinned against her body. In just a few short seconds she had gone from dreamy contentment to unadulterated fear. So quickly was she rendered helpless, she was still struggling to make sense of what was happening to her when she felt the first bolt of pain streak across her skin. Not even having the time to scream or use her god given talent for speaking the truth to try and diffuse the attack before it really started, she realised to her horror that her jaw had taken the impact of the blow to her face and unable to move it as the pain was so great she really was now at the mercy of whoever it was that wanted her to suffer so badly. For a few seconds this horrific realisation had deflected her attention from the myriad of blows that had rained down on her, but now feeling a particularly savage blow to her stomach rapidly followed by another to her lower back as she bent double in pain from the first, awareness flooded back to her and the cruel and horrific beating she had taken became all too clear as every part of her body seemed to erupt at the exact same moment. Pain raged through every muscle at the slightest twitch.

Sagging down to the cold, damp, dirty floor she called on every bit of inner strength she possessed and forced herself to look up, determined to see her attacker, determined to see the face of the person who had done this to her. Even if just for one fleeting moment, she had to see. Her eyes flickered skywards. Before her stood a man, fair skinned, medium build, she guessed in his thirties perhaps, she drank in as much detail as she could. His clothes somehow seemed familiar but in the haze of pain and drowsiness that engulfed her she couldn't quite understand why. All the time she had been subjected to the horrific assault her assailant had remained absolutely silent. Now she heard a deep, throaty laugh and the whisper of a single question that would haunt her in her darkest moments in the weeks and months ahead 'Where was the father?' Her tormentor turned slowly and slightly, his face revealed in the dim rays of the street lights passing by the alleyway and what she saw took Monica's breath away. Every nightmare she had ever known tumbled around her mind. Fear, shock, Terror every negative emotion there was took hold of her, her body paralysed by her inability to imagine the unimaginable, believe what could not possibly be true, accept what her eyes told her to be real….Andrew.


	2. Chapter 2 - Dying Light

_Chapter 2 – Dying Light_

_His plan was working and he knew it. He had seen her suffer when he had inflicted the physical pain. But he watched her begin to die inside when he had turned to let her see his face. His face? No that was the beauty of his plan. Physical pain alone wouldn't work on her. So he had come up with a way to inflict emotional pain far greater than any hurt her body could suffer. He had found a way to make her question two of the most fundamental truths she based her entire existence on. Her love of the father and the strong and binding friendship she had forged with Andrew. Without both of these to anchor her she would drift without purpose or destination and he knew then she would be ripe for the picking. But until then the first step of his plan had worked beautifully. Transforming himself into Andrew for the act itself was a master stroke. He congratulated himself again on such a brilliant idea. He knew Monica would never be convinced of Andrew's guilt by words alone, no matter how evil the being that uttered them. So he had planned for her to see 'his' face. He had taken a chance that just a momentary glance would be enough. When she had looked at him just before he fled the alley and he had watched the light of innocence die in her eyes he knew the gamble had been worth it, perhaps beyond even his wildest expectations._

Everything hurt. Even the slightest breath seemed to take all the effort Monica could muster. The broken angel lay slumped on the ground, the damp seeping into her clothing and the bitter cold creeping into her bones. Andrew had done this to her, had inflicted this pain, had physically attacked her. That single thought played through her mind over and over, like a haunting melody on looped playback. So strong was its effect on her it consumed her survival instinct and blinded her to the need to get help, to alert someone, anyone to her predicament. But help was at hand. The father had been with her throughout and now intervened on Monica's behalf. A stranger, following in the footsteps Monica had trod only minutes before, heard a whimper, a moan, and a groan. Recognising the sounds of someone in pain they went to investigate. Finding the broken, battered body of a frail yet strikingly beautiful young woman help was summoned and Monica was rushed to the nearest Emergency Room. 

Her wounds were tended, tests carried out, x-rays and scans performed. But the deep, black, all-consuming pain both physical and emotional remained throughout it all. The doctor that had taken care of her from the moment she was brought in was a 50 something man, grey hair at the temples that was receding on top, a little extra weight around the middle, quite a stocky build, only a few inches taller than Monica. But he had a kindly face, a gentle but professional touch and even though his patient's trust had not been readily given he had worked hard to earn it. He had been rewarded with short, one or two word answers to his questions. But they were answers nevertheless and he had gleaned from her just about enough to diagnose her physical injuries. He debated with himself whether to try and speak to her about his findings. Looking at the sad, frightened little girl on the bed in front of him he decided to go in search of a family member.


	3. Chapter 3 - Panic Stricken

_Chapter 3 – Panic Stricken_

Tess and Andrew had been waiting for what seemed like an eternity for word on Monica. They had been expecting her earlier at the quaint little shop they had found. Tess had known as soon as she'd seen it that Monica would love it. Floral cotton tablecloths, lace place settings on beautifully carved tables. Countless blends of coffee served in real china, exquisite aromas in every corner of the shop. Andrew had bought her a Mocha Latte and left it on the table in anticipation of her imminent arrival. But Monica never came. As the minutes dragged by without sight or sound of her and the weather outside got worse her empty place at the table weighed heavy on their minds, unbeknownst to them as the heat from the mug of coffee slowly ebbed away so too did a beautiful angel's smile.

The two senior angels had grown increasingly worried at Monica's no-show and panic was beginning to set in. They were debating with each other what they were going to do about it when the decision was taken out of their hands. A young man burst through the door. His hands jammed in the pockets of his Blue Jeans and the hood of his Black Fleece jacket framing his face trying to keep out the cold. He placed his order with the motherly, middle aged woman behind the counter before relaying the piece of news he had come in to reveal. Tess and Andrew overheard the young man's story of a beautiful woman found beaten and left for scrap on the streets, her condition undetermined; her attacker unknown. An overwhelming fear seemed to take over both angels with a vice-like grip. Both jumped up and headed out the door without a word being said between them, each knowing exactly the others movements as if they were their own. As Andrew looked back briefly to close the door behind him he caught a glimpse of the young man's face looking straight at him, his piercing blue eyes shining red for the briefest of moments. Shaking his head in disbelief Andrew looked again but the young man was engaged in pleasant conversation with the lady behind the counter. Believing fear and panic were playing tricks on his mind he closed the door and went after Tess, never seeing the young man throw his head back, a throaty laugh showing his pleasure and pride at the completion of the next stage of his plan. At the same time his eyes shone bright with their true colour, the red of pure evil.

On arrival at the hospital they had been told that Monica was with the doctor and they could do nothing but wait and the agony went on. So it was that they found themselves in a white, sterile, lifeless corridor. The lights dimmed to reflect the midnight hour. Tess sat uncomfortably in a hard plastic chair, praying to the father for Monica's safety and strength of character for herself and Andrew to weather whatever storms lay ahead. She shifted her weight trying to find a slightly less painful position, all the time willing to endure all the pain and discomfort in the world just to hear news of her Angel Girl. Andrew was pacing up and down, worry etched on his handsome features. The opposite of Tess's measured and calm exterior Andrew was fidgety and fretful. Unable to keep still for long enough to feel any discomfort he had been pacing the length of the corridor for most of the night. Footsteps caught both angels attention and both turned to see a middle aged man in a white coat walking towards them. "Are you here for Monica?" Her breath caught in Tess's throat as she whispered 'Yes'. "Then please come this way". The wait was finally over.


	4. Chapter 4 - Tender Treatment

_Chapter 4 – Tender Treatment_

Settled behind his desk he invited Tess and Andrew to take a seat. Knowing he must get the legalities out of the way Doctor Oliver Goulding spoke first.

"I'm Doctor Goulding, Oliver Goulding and I've been treating Monica since she was first brought to us. Are you both family members?" Before Tess could answer she heard Andrew's Voice. "Doctor Goulding I'm Andrew and this is Tess. We are not blood related to Monica nor does she have any relatives to call her own. Were it not for each other all three of us would walk our paths alone. But we love her and in the truest sense we are family."

Touched by Andrew's words and moved by his sincerity and honesty Doctor Goulding continued. "I'm afraid Monica was subjected to a vicious physical assault earlier this evening. The right side of her jaw suffered impact damage to the bone; she has multiple contusions and abrasions to her face, torso and lower back. We are currently awaiting test results to determine the functionality of her Kidneys but this is at the moment purely precautionary. We are however concerned about the level of tenderness Monica is experiencing around the abdomen. Which is why I believe the best course of action would be exploratory surgery. We need to be absolutely certain she hasn't sustained any internal injury particularly to the Spleen." Now coming to the most delicate part of his speech Oliver Goulding faltered a little. These two people clearly cared dearly for his patient. He had already thrown a hell of a lot at them and had watched the pain and sorrow in their eyes increase as he had spoken. Now he had to administer the final and without doubt hardest blow and he couldn't help but wonder how much more they could take.

Sensing there was something else the doctor had to say Tess stepped in with a very gentle but firm nudge. "It's ok baby. Whatever it is, just tell us. We can't help her until we know what we're dealing with." Gathering strength from the remarkable woman in front of him he continued. "Normally in a situation like Monica's we would request permission for the surgery from the patient herself. However in this case I believe it is necessary to ask for one of you to sign the paperwork we need. You see, Monica was subjected to a horrendous ordeal tonight and her injuries go beyond the physical. Although it isn't my area of expertise and I will be asking another doctor qualified in the field to speak to Monica, I believe she has suffered deep emotional trauma and will most likely require some form of counselling in the very near future. Right now I don't think Monica is of sound enough mind to make this sort of decision so I am turning to you her family. Will one of you please give your permission for the surgery she needs?"

Both angels reeled in complete shock. How had an evening that had started out with so much promise come to this? It was Andrew that recovered himself enough to speak first. 'I'll sign your forms. I'll do it." Taking the clipboard and pen he was offered he signed his name where indicated. Before leaving to tend to his patient's surgery Oliver Goulding offered a few final words "Thank you. This really is the best thing for her. I'll bring her back to you as quickly as I can. " With that he was gone and two tired, confused angels were left in his wake and in his office. For a few moments neither could bring themselves to move. Both trying to take in everything they had just been told.

Andrew's mind swam. Right at that moment it felt like a million thoughts were competing for attention, attacking him from every direction. But bone weary he lacked the energy to focus; struggled to isolate just one problem to work on and in the end gave up trying. The one instinct Andrew was certain of just wouldn't leave him alone. The reason he had volunteered to put his name on the dotted line. It was an image that once it had wormed itself into his mind refused to leave and one he struggled to cope with. But the truth was he had signed the forms as much for Tess's sake as his angel girl's. Should Monica not pull through he didn't want Tess to have to live with the knowledge that she had consented to the surgery that ended her life? He was determined that should the worst happen it would be his burden to carry and his alone.

Tess remained still and motionless save for one tiny movement. She had entwined her fingers and placed her hands very carefully in her lap. Then almost without realising she was doing it her thumbs started to circle each other. The rhythmic, repetitive motion helping to focus her mind, focus her breathing, keeping her last thread of sanity intact.


End file.
